Institute/Session Summary:

Purpose:

Students can be introduced to the classics when they are guided through preliminary reading skills that increase not only reading comprehension but also develop critical thinking skills.

Learning Objectives:

• To share with interested conference attendees how to make connections between current literature and the classics.
• To show the process of how to develop meaningful materials that will engage students.

Outline of Content:

Presenter will show through developed materials how to get students both involved in reading a novel and get students committed to keeping a reading journal. The first activity will be a discovery activity that acts as a pre-reading exercise. This is followed up with vocabulary exercises and development and how to read in context. Other activities include following a character and how and why to keep a reading journal.

Significance to the field:

Developing critical reading and thinking skills are necessary skills not only for the college classroom but also life skills. Once students learn to apply the skills outside of the reading classroom they feel successful--perhaps for the first time. We need to teach skills that are transferable and not confined to a classroom.

Relevance to CRLA members/conference attendees:

I am hopeful that the conference attendees will think about using the classics again in the classroom. In this way, we can show students that there is a connection to the past works and introduce them to works that stand the test of time.

Instructional materials to be shared:

Discovery materials for critical reading skills, reading journal questions, and a list of matched readings (modern version and classic version)

Presenter1 Name: Anne-MarieSchlender
Presenter1 Institution: Austin Community College
Presenter1 Bio: Anne-Marie received her Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Sciences and Master's degree in Linguistics from San Jose State University. She serves as Assistant Department Chair of ESOL at Austin Community College. She is also the designated language person for the Biotechnology Program at Austin Community College.